PGA Tour: I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Bubbamania is sweeping America. It may not last long but it is a breath of fresh air in this week that the Tour takes a breath of fresh air, from the stifling corporate, possibly racist, apparently misogynist, environmentally unfriendly confines of Augusta National. We're off to Carolina, to South Carolina and Hilton Head Island, home of Harbour Town Golf Links and Calibogue Sound.

2).Was this as thrilling a Masters as Schwartzel's victory in 2011? Pretty darn close I would say, certainly in respect of the fact that halfway through the back nine on Sunday there were few clear signals as to how it would all end. As ever in the Majors there were winners and there were losers.
Obvious winners like Bubba and pink PING drivers. But some smaller victories, Graeme McDowell for instance, who wanted to make the cut if only to get more "reps" as he sought to "figure this place out". Shot -5 over the weekend, good for T12.
While some secured a return visit to Augusta for instance. Most of the Top 16 will be back thanks to exemptions or being certain for the owgr Top 50 at the end of December.
Some of the eventual Top 16 were less certain, however, but they booked their passage on Sunday: Hanson, Poulter, Furyk, Na (too bad) and Garcia.

3).And some were losers; those who came close but hit an inadvertent railing (or perhaps balance assisting device on a Patron Observation Platform?), Luke, Rory, Tiger etc. And I'd say Martin Kaymer should be on that list. Started out well but seemed to fritter shots away as the week wore on.
Then there were one or two, not certain to be back, who started Round 4 in the Top 16 but fell away: Frannie Molinari, Crane (good), Jacobson, Dufner, Lawrie, Watney, O'Hair and Stenson.

4).What does Johnny Miller think about his Tiger prediction following Bay Hill?
"It wouldn't totally surprise me if he were to win 35-40 times from now. He could do it. The way he is playing right now he is going to kick butt."
Johnny Miller morphed quickly in to Gotye as the Tiger who sailed back down Magnolia Lane was more like "Somebody that I used to know".

5).Turn the clock back one year and the tournament venue following The Masters was in San Antonio and the traditional stop, on Hilton Head, had no sponsor and was funded by the Heritage Classic Foundation. RBC, sponsor of the Canadian Open, stepped up to the plate, however, the "RBC Heritage" retrieved its post-Masters date, and a top class field will compete at Pete Dye's gem, Harbour Town Golf Links. Apart from Hilton Head being one of my three favourite places in the U.S., Harbour Town is probably the most "playable" course on the pros' calendar. No silly forced carries, just a strategic navigation around one of the shorter tracks on Tour and most amateurs will shoot close to their handicap unless they insist on playing from "the tips".

6).Pete Dye designed Harbour Town in the late sixties with help from a player "consultant", feller called Nicklaus. The result is shortish holes, gorgeous set of short/medium length par 3's, some of the smallest greens on Tour, and the pros' second favourite: "Really good course to play." "You don't need length for a great golf course, it's not 7,600 yards - you have to hit golf shots there." "You have to shape the ball on almost every hole."
Sounds ideal for Bubba then. But he's not here, (though it's timely to remember that Bubba already has a US Open T5 as well as his PGA play-off loss. Not every Major course will suit him, but he'll make sure that many will.)

7).Will Luke Donald bounce back this week, scene of his 2011 play-off loss to Snedeker? His good driving at Augusta National will stand him in good stead, but his irons need to be precise and his short game 2011-esque. Brian Davis also has a decent record here, and other notable "Internationals" include Els, Immelman, Harrington, Bae, Ogilvy, Badds, and some top Swedes.

8).The Tour's southern boys are also here in force; not Bubba of course, or Dustin Johnson, but Cink (two wins), Haas, Howell, Kuchar, Simpson, Snedeker and even two-time winner Boo Weekley, etc., etc. Like Lukey, Furyk has a fine record here, as does the fastest finisher last week, Van Pelt, Badds and Ernie.

9).One thing the pros, especially those living outside "the States", will have to figure out next year is the reported (most recently by the AP) probability that the 2012 pre-Masters schedule may run: Bay Hill, Houston, Texas Open, due to the very late date for The Masters (ending Sunday, April 14th). No way that the TPC San Antonio will attract those warming up for Augusta in the way that Houston has strived to do, so there will be some unusual travel itineraries being concocted.

10).The Champions Tour resumes its on-again, off-again schedule this week with a stop in Tampa. Kirk Triplett and his bucket hat make their senior circuit debut, and Mark Mouland is also in the field. So is Sandy Lyle after what may well have been his final round at The Masters, and a motley crew of TV commentators, Boring Bobby Clampett, Jacobsen, Koch, Maltbie, North and Strange among them. No Michael Vaughan though.

I believe the US player eligibility for Ryder Cup is that you have to be a naturalized citizen before your 18th birthday.

IIRC, Carl Petterson became a US citizen after his 18th birthday.

I think Carl Petterson is eligible to be eligible for the Euro RC team, if he joined the EuroT. (assuming he did not renounce Swedish citizenship). CP was a member of the Euro Tour back in the early 2000s.

Has anyone ever asked him about the Ryder Cup in a interviews?

GPB wrote:I think Carl Petterson is eligible to be eligible for the Euro RC team, if he joined the EuroT.

But the money he wins will only count from WHEN he joins the tour. It is not retrospective.

I'm never wrong wrote:

GPB wrote:I think Carl Petterson is eligible to be eligible for the Euro RC team, if he joined the EuroT.

But the money he wins will only count from WHEN he joins the tour. It is not retrospective.

Agreed, the point is moot now, his only way on the team is via a Captains pick. And he would have to do something really spectacular to get a benefit of a doubt over Euro RC Stalwarts like Poulter, Jimenez.

He has to get at least two more wins, or a US Open, Open Champ, PGA to get any consideration.

I have feeling Capt Ollie might be giving him a call this week.

1. To see if Petterson is even interested (and I am not sure that he is)
2. and to tell him that he has to make a good faith attempt to join Euro Tour. (like play in the BMW PGA next month!)
3. Congratulate Petterson.

If Petterson was eligible for the US team, he would be #7 in the standings. Again impressive, since he did not play in 3 of the 4 majors last year (MC at the Masters), nor the WGCs or the Masters this year.

McLaren wrote:hend085

If Carl had a euro tour membership the current system would actually be to his benefit as a player who accumulates more world points than Euro points.

As I have pointed out before if the top 5 from the euro list are the same top 5 as the world list those in positions 6-10 on the world list are given preference over those from 6-10 on the euro list.

of course Mac sorry -was thinking it was the other way around.


if he cant play for europe or or the US- how about the presidents cup?!

This was the qualifying criteria for the International Team for 2011 Presidents Cup. "The top-10 international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team) from the Official World Golf Ranking after the conclusion of the BMW Championship automatically made the International Team"

So I think it depends on the definition of "eligible for the European Ryder Cup Team".

petterson is very clear on being american these days- so i think its up to the americans to go after him and change there selection rather than the europeans coaxing him into joining the euro tour..

however the truth is neither team really want him, and neither team would be fearfull of playing against him at the moment.. not gonna say his win was devalued- guy has been playing well- and i picked him for the masters, however he didnt get in and he was still fresh and beat players that wernt the week after.

well done for the win carl, but if he wanted to play in the ryder cup he should have been trying to sort out his unique situation before this point. and if he isnt commited to having a euro tour card and is as he calls it a yank these days- he shouldnt play for team europe

Carl stated that he feels more american than sweedish- infact he actually hasnt lived there since he was 10(when he moved to england).

he moved to america when he was 14,

I dont understand why he isnt in the running to play for america- however he should be!

IIRC, US Ryder Cup Bylaws say that you have to be a Naturalized citizen before age 18.

I tried unsuccessfully to post a link to Doiug Ferguson's take on Pettersson and the Ryder Cup, but it won't take, yet.

But you can navigate to it from:
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf

and it's the top article in the block on the right hand side of the page.

Here is a direct link to the Doug Ferguson article:

http://tinyurl.com/6vj7hkm

The European team doesn't need to go chasing journeymen pros like Peterson to be in the team. We have more than enough good and experienced players before we need to start barrel scraping.

GPB wrote:IIRC, US Ryder Cup Bylaws say that you have to be a Naturalized citizen before age 18.

yep i know that- it still doesnt make sense that there would do that- they take any citizen aged over 18 in oylipmic and other sports

RC qualification isn't quite like other sports though. Let's face it at the drop of a hat we went from GB & I to a whole continent.

To my mind if the americans didnt have such depth of talent or carl was an exeptional talkent they would change it up.. its not like RYDER CUP QUALIFICATION RULES have to be sought out by some higher governing body- they could change there qualification rules at any given time. carl is stuck in the middle. but he feels american- the fact is he has that right as well- he has lived there since he was 14 and his goilf game is a product of there system!

It was hardly the drop of a hat Diggers, GB&I were perpetually pumped by the most powerful golf nation on earth. USA might as well have been playing The Vatican City, the outcome would still have been the same. Europe v USA is a far more level playing field. The event would have died otherwise, now its in the top five world sporting events.

sr you say that and your right- however id back a gb and ire team these days- it would be almost as good as a european team..

"now its in the top five world sporting events."

Calm down I can think of 5 better in a matter of seconds

Open
masters
Champions league final
work cup final
wimbledon
A number of F1 races

I'd hardly class an f1 race as an event. There are far too many of them and in the scheme of things I'd say relatively insignificant in terms of who wins.

However you're probably right that there are lots of big events, but the Ryder Cup is certainly amongst them, something it would not be if it was still gb and tatty munchers v septics.

super_realist wrote:It was hardly the drop of a hat Diggers, GB&I were perpetually pumped by the most powerful golf nation on earth. USA might as well have been playing The Vatican City, the outcome would still have been the same. Europe v USA is a far more level playing field. The event would have died otherwise, now its in the top five world sporting events.

The point was that the teams arent really governed on a national level. Its just a glorified jolly and they can make the rules up as they go along as to who plays. So really yeah they could change it so the fat Swede could play for the States if they wanted to, but to be honest I think there are plenty of Yanks good enough to play right now anyway. My money is on a big time spanking for Europe this time round.

its a 50/50- the ryder cup is as 50/50 an event imaginable

Diggers -- I could certainly see the Yanks getting taken to the woodshed, not the Euros. Just look at the world rankings. Lots more time to see how the top players get into form, however.

Just because Petterson became a US citizen and says he feels more American than Swedish does NOT necessarily mean that he wants to compete against the Euros in the RC.

I think if he had any aspiration to play the US team, he would have already petitioned the PGA of America for a rule change

GPB I dont think petterson has thought much about the ryder cup untill now!

However i look at it the other way- america has more claim on him than europe , however i just dont think either team want him

He's a fat knacker. Not sure what all the fuss is about him.

Super

Not for the same reasons as you but there is no way he will be in a qualification position (in theory) for any team come september. He has barely set foot in a major championship for heavens sake

Not to mention hes a stateless nomad. Who'd want him?

Super

Actually I was wrong, if you read Kwini's latest article it seems carl is quite a winner, and Europe is not blessed with many of them on the PGA tour.

Completely disagree with The "European Tour" calling the shots on players having to be a member to qualify for the team. This stance is a reaction to the strength of the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup should be about the 12 best "European" golfers playing against the 12 best "US" golfers. Both tours have used the event to try and protect their tours./

I say both tours should stand on their own two feet and that the qualification for BOTH teams should be via the OWGR.

Well done Mr. Peterson for your stance on this..................

Shotrock wrote:Diggers -- I could certainly see the Yanks getting taken to the woodshed, not the Euros. Just look at the world rankings. Lots more time to see how the top players get into form, however.

Depends how you look at the rankings. USA have 12 players in the top 23 so a lot of strength in depth at the top including 5 of the top 10. Europe also 5 in the top 10 and higher ranked but you have to go down to 37 to get 12 players (excluding Petterson).
So Europes best better than Americas but USA with the stronger players outside the top 10 with more guys ranked in the teens.
As you say though a long way to go yet.

John Cregan wrote:Completely disagree with The "European Tour" calling the shots on players having to be a member to qualify for the team. This stance is a reaction to the strength of the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup should be about the 12 best "European" golfers playing against the 12 best "US" golfers. Both tours have used the event to try and protect their tours./

I say both tours should stand on their own two feet and that the qualification for BOTH teams should be via the OWGR.

Well done Mr. Peterson for your stance on this..................

what stance is that?- and he calls himself american, he also understands why the european tour have to try and add an incentive to being a member

Diggers wrote:

Shotrock wrote:Diggers -- I could certainly see the Yanks getting taken to the woodshed, not the Euros. Just look at the world rankings. Lots more time to see how the top players get into form, however.

Depends how you look at the rankings. USA have 12 players in the top 23 so a lot of strength in depth at the top including 5 of the top 10. Europe also 5 in the top 10 and higher ranked but you have to go down to 37 to get 12 players (excluding Petterson).
So Europes best better than Americas but USA with the stronger players outside the top 10 with more guys ranked in the teens.
As you say though a long way to go yet.

as i said before 50/50

nothing in it.

i dont think anyone could argue that europoes top 12 arnt on a par collectively with americas top 12.

top 23 or top 37 doesnt mean much at all, certainly nothing when you factor in that europe have the top 3.


usa have home advantage- however europe i feel have a better performing team and spirit!

again 50/50

i would put europe ahead if it was a home fixture

McLaren wrote:Super

Not for the same reasons as you but there is no way he will be in a qualification position (in theory) for any team come september. He has barely set foot in a major championship for heavens sake

And just what was Oliver Wilson's Major Championship resume going into Ryder Cup 2008?

Answer: MC-MC-T36-MC-MC

John Cregan:

Disagree. like the old American Express Advertisement.

Membership has it Privileges.

Rankings and major wins have never been a good way to judge who will win matchplay competitions like The Ryder Cup. The best players in recent years have been sergio, Westwood, Donald and poulter. Not a major between them and often many Americans ahead of them in rankings when the competition actually took place.

So simply picking on who happens to be top in terms of owgr would not necessarily guarantee the two best teams, especially as they are calculated over two years.

GPB wrote:John Cregan:

Disagree. like the old American Express Advertisement.

Membership has it Privileges.

I couldn't disagree with you more. Why not just rebrand the Ryder Cup "European Tour" v "PGA Tour" then. And might as well let The Suuth Africans and Aussies in then depending on what tour they are "members" of.

IMO, the Euro tour have no right to decide who is "european" or who isin't....................

john not sure i follow- the us team also decide who is american and who isnt

Mysti,

My point is that Carl Peterson is Swedish. However, due to the fact that he is NOT a member of the European Tour, he is not eligable to play for Europe at the Ryder Cup. It's a bit like the FA not allowing David Beckham play for England because he doesn't play in the English Premier League.

I understand that he is also an Americal citizen but i think he "declares" as a European....................

Not unique to golf. New Zealand won't pick any of their rugby union players who play abroad. I think it was considered by England Rugby, but not done.

i do get your point john.

however he has stated that he feels more american and he has just become an american citizzen, he has also lived there since he was 14, he hasnt lived in sweden since he was 10(you cant even remember much before then anyway) that tells me almost conclusively that he would be happier to play for the states.


anyway he understands the reason why the european tour needs to try and offer incentives for the tour- i do understand that it may feel abit unfair- however golf is eccentric- look at the masters field to start with..

Also i dont think england do pick any players outside of the arriva- not sure if its a cast iron rule- however cipriani and sacky were completly left out since going abroad

Another thing to keep in mind about many Americans is that we're still very much an immigrant nation. My father was not born in the States, but I was. In grade school it was very common to say you were "Irish, Italian, German, etc." to your school buddies. Of course, we all knew we were American, but prided ourselves on our ethnic heritage as well.

Me, I'm primarily German, Irish, Norweigian with some French thrown in. A real mutt. My wife is almost all Irish (Republic of).

Petterson - We could use him if he played like that come September!

Wilko definately played for England while with Toulon although players abroad do not get recognised as much. With rugby it's about the scheduling issues and that's why "home" players are favoured.

I think Peterson does consider his nationality to be "Swedish" though and as such would be eligable for Europe. He definately doesn't appear on the US Points list..............

No John -petterson has stated that he feels more american than swedish- thats all you need to understand. also he has never ever wanted to try for the european team because he hasnt been a tour member for donkies years!, he knows the rules and he has never bothered trying for the team. He is an american first and formost in his mind- and i think we and the american selcetors whould respect that

Shotrock wrote:Another thing to keep in mind about many Americans is that we're still very much an immigrant nation. My father was not born in the States, but I was. In grade school it was very common to say you were "Irish, Italian, German, etc." to your school buddies. Of course, we all knew we were American, but prided ourselves on our ethnic heritage as well.

Me, I'm primarily German, Irish, Norweigian with some French thrown in. A real mutt. My wife is almost all Irish (Republic of).

Petterson - We could use him if he played like that come September!

so SR no english in that lot then- because i do notice that most americans never say the english part of there heritage on a scale that is a genetic impossibilty, Obviously most of you white americans have more than one heritage- however there is more english than anything else!

Mysti - Good point. My guess is that there's probably some English in the mix. Heritage is pretty cloudy. Perhaps it explains my affinity for the finer things in life.

Thats good then - we will take you , and the americans can have petterson.

Surely, the blueprint for a truly one-sided competition would be all the Americans claiming Irish heritage on March 17th versus the rest of America?

No-one (no US citizens anyway) claims English heritage even if they were born there!

mysti's trade with Shotrock and Pettersson sounds appropriate - Sr's played more top courses in GB&I than fatty Carl, that's for certain!

Thanks for your thought Mysti - Trust me, if you want to win a golf match, Petterson's your guy, not me.

Kwin - good call, even the East Uticans (largely Italian) wore green on March 17th.

SR, you can't have that great a Norwegian heritage if you can't even spell it!

Super - Were you ever forced to eat Lutefisk at Christmas? I blame that for my poor typing skills relating to anything remotely Scandanavian.